Smashburger Calgary

Last week Clive Burger opened on 17th Avenue. Black Betty Burger & Wine Bar opens later this week. And Smashburger opens their first Canadian location Wednesday May the 2nd. Tuesday night Patrick and I had a chance to sample thier menu.

One of the cool things that Smashburger does is customize their menu to represent the the city that they are in. For example in Las Vegas you’ll find a Sin City Burger. New Mexico locations feature a Tex Mex Burger. Calgary is no different. Not only is there a Calgary burger, but they also make their milkshakes and floats with Cochrane’s own MacKay’s Ice Cream.

When you walk in the door you are greeted with an easy to navigate menu above the tills. You can either build your own burger masterpiece or order one of the 6 different hamburgers on the menu.

- Classic

- All American

- Mushroom Swiss

- BBQ Bacon Cheddar

- Spicy Baja

- Calgary

In the mood for chicken? Again you can either create you own, or choose one of the 5 chicken sandwiches on the menu. They come either grilled or crispy.

- Classic

- Buffalo

- Spinach & Goat Cheese

- Avocado Club

- Calgary

Smashburger also makes a veggie burger, 4 different salads, hot dogs, and has 11 different sides to choose from.

In an effort to give the best review possible we ordered a lot of food. We had the Calgary and the Spicy Baja Burgers. The Buffalo and the Avocado Club Chicken Sandwiches. An order of poutine and chili cheese fries.

The great thing about these burgers is how fresh they tasted. Even with all of the toppings, the meat was so flavorful that it stood out amongst all the other flavors. Everything served as a compliment to the beef rather than stealing the spotlight. Even with the Spicy Baja, the guacamole soothed the heat from the jalapenos, once again allowing the beef to be the star.

The Chicken Sandwiches:

- The Buffalo Chicken Sandwich was Franks Red Hot Buffalo Sauce, crumbled blue cheese, lettuce, tomato, and mayo on an egg bun. We had this with the crispy chicken which is a is hand battered country fried chicken breast. Much like the Spicy Baja burger this sandwich was the perfect blend of spicy and cool with the Franks Red Hot and the blue cheese. Combined with a fresh juicy chicken breast it was amazing. It may have been our favorite. the two of us keep providing arguments for all 4 items that we tried.

- The Avocado Club had fresh avocado, applewood smoked bacon, lettuce, tomato, ranch dressing, and mayo on a multigrain bun. With this sandwich we went with the grilled chicken. It just seemed like the right thing to do. Again this sandwich presented a perfect balance of flavors.

The Sides:

Were good. But lets be honest…Smashburger is truly all about the burgers and sandwiches.

After watching the staff transform raw balls of ground beef into the masterpieces that tantalize your taste buds I can honestly say that Smashburger is taking fast food to a new level. Plus they’re licensed too!